Results tagged “CHP” from Crime & Courts

Maybe you heard it or saw it. I'm told it was quite a crash.

A guy driving along Island Avenue in Wilmington blew through a stop sign at 10:30 a.m. and struck a car at C Street.

That was unfortunate. It contained three Harbor Division officers on their way to an investigation in an unmarked car.

LAPD Sgt. Michelle Santillan told me it looked worse than it appeared. The officers were taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital- San Pedro for treatment of minor injuries and were released.

The other motorist was treated at County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and released.

CHiPs is handling it, but I couldn't find out if the dude got a ticket.

Vince Weathermon, uncle of Jakob Weathermon, the young man killed when a big rig truck struck him as he rode his bicycle on the border of Carson and Rancho Dominguez on Tuesday, sent along this photo Friday night.

I don't think there was anything wrong with the picture we used from Jakob's MySpace page the other day. He's a nice-looking kid. But apparently that photo was taken at a time when Jakob, 20, was shaving his head. So his uncle wanted me to show a current photo of Jakob with a full head of hair.

It was taken at his brother's birthday party, two days before he died.

The CHP is investigating Jakob's death and whether the truck driver committed a crime. If you read the user comments below my story, Jakob's family believes the driver should be charged with vehicular manslaughter. These investigations can take some time. We'll check back with investigators to see what happens.

(The incident occurred in an area where one side of the street is Carson and the other is the unincorporated area known as Rancho Dominguez. The CHP will handle the case instead of Carson sheriff's deputies because Jakob was hit on the unincorporated side of the road.)

Family members will hold a service for Jakob today at Luyben-Dilday Family Mortuary in Long Beach.  This is a closed-casket ceremony for friends.

They also have established a Web site for friends to memorialize him.

"Jakob was one of the sweetest kids you'd ever know," Uncle Vince said.  "We are all in serious shock, especially since the sudden passing of my dad 10 weeks prior."
 
 

A Torrance man speeding along the Harbor Freeway was killed early this morning in a crash with a sport utility vehicle, police said.

Another man was injured in the crash shortly after midnight just south of the Century Freeway. 

The Torrance man was 26. His name wasn't available.

The CHP said the man was seen speeding south in a 2000 Toyota. He made an unsafe lane change. The right side of his SUV hit the left rear side of  a 1994 Mitsubishi.

The Toyota 's driver lost control and crashed. He died at the scene.

The 26-year-old man driving the Mitsubishi was taken to a hospital. His injuries were minor.

(Information from City News Service.)

We had a short story on the Web site yesterday about a homeless man whose body was found on the Century Freeway in the Willowbrook area. He was hit by a vehicle and dragged.

The discovery of his body forced the closure of the eastbound lanes.

If you happened to be driving east on the 105 about 5:15 a.m. or so, CHP investigators are trying to find the driver of a late-model red pickup truck. They don't know if this is the driver who struck the man, but the motorist stopped at the scene and took off before officers arrived.

I'll have a story on all this coming up.

The victim was Alhakim Muntaqim Allah, a 66-year-old man who lived in his van in the area of El Segundo Boulevard and San Pedro Street.

"I think he was misunderstood by a lot of people," his daughter Al-Wasi Allah said. "He was happy. He smiled all the time."

El Segundo police just issued a press release that applies to everybody in California about the "hands-free" law that takes affect on July 1. I just got myself a "bluetooth" device for about $25 at Best Buy. Works fine.

Here's the release:

DON'T GET CAUGHT "RED-HANDED"

GO HANDSFREE, "IT'S THE LAW"

Wireless Telephone Laws Aim to Increase Traffic Safety

Two new laws regarding the use of wireless telephones while driving take effect July 1, 2008. Both laws are designed to increase traffic safety by reducing distractions inside vehicles and increasing driver awareness.

23123 CVC prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone unless that telephone is specifically designed and configured to allow hands-free listening and talking and is used in that manner. This law does not prohibit dialing, nor does it address text messaging. However, a driver can be pulled over and cited, if, in the officer's opinion, the driver was distracted and not operating the vehicle safely. Text messaging while driving is unsafe at any speed and is strongly discouraged.

Anticipating both a lot of irate motorists and a likely windfall for the state when a new wireless telephone law takes effect July 1, the California Highway Patrol recently issued a three-page FAQ on the measure. I couldn't find the link to the document, so I put the whole thing after the jump. Here are some highlights, though:

• Q: What are the fines if I’m convicted? A: The base fine for the FIRST offense is $20 and $50 for subsequent convictions. According to the Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule, with the addition of penalty assessments, a first offense is $76 and a second offense is $190.

• Q: Will I receive a point on my drivers license if I’m convicted for a violation of the wireless telephone law? A: NO. The violation is a reportable offense: however, DMV will not assign a violation point. 

• Q: Will the conviction appear on my driving record? A: Yes, but the violation point will not be added.

The FAQ also delves into the differences between motorists who are under 18 years of age and older.